Ethan's Surgery

After three ear infections over the course of two months, and a failed hearing exam at his four-year old checkup, Ethan was referred to a pediatric ENT. We went to see him, and they did a traditional hearing test, much more accurate than what they do at a regular pediatrician. He did show slight hearing loss due to the buildup of fluid in both ears. So, the ENT recommended that Ethan get tubes. At the same time, the doctor would look at his adenoids to see if they were inflamed or infected. If they were, then he would perform an adenoidectomy, as well as the tubes.

So, on Friday, April 3rd, Brian, Ethan, and I headed off to the pediatric surgical center, while my mom babysat Kaden. We checked in around 9:45 a.m., and as typical with anything medically-related, it was hurry up and wait. Here's a picture of Ethan playing in the outside waiting room, before they took us back to the patient area.

Once they took us back to the patient area, they got Ethan all set up with a DVD player, and whatever movie he wanted to watch. At that point we were waiting for the doctor, who was running a bit behind. Ethan didn't mind the waiting; below is a picture of him watching a movie.

After waiting probably an hour or so, the nurse finally came back to give Ethan his "silly juice". That is how they refer to the sedative that they give them so they are relaxed when going back to the operating room. Brian and I thought they were going to have to come back with a second dose, because after close to 30 minutes, Ethan was still his usual bouncing off the wall self. But it finally seemed to take effect, and they wheeled him off to the OR. Here is a picture of Ethan playing "patient". I think he might have started feeling the effects of the sedative at this point, as he was getting a little unsteady!


Brian and I were shown to the parent waiting room, and about 15 or 20 minutes later, the doctor came in to update us. The doctor scoped Ethan's adenoids, and they were not inflamed or infected, so he got to keep them! The eardrums were cut, drained, and tubes inserted with no problems. About five minutes later, we heard Ethan crying in the recovery area. They came to get us, and poor Ethan was so disoriented, he was just crying over nothing. The nurses were fantastic, and I sat with Ethan in a rocking chair and rocked him while he zonked out for a bit, letting the anesthesia wear off. Rocking a four year old is quite a feat! After about 45 minutes, Ethan was somewhat awake, and ready to go home. He slept most of the way home in the car, and when he did wake up, he would complain that he was very sleepy. But, in typical Ethan fashion, once we got home, he perked up and wouldn't take a nap!

Ethan's ears so far seem to be doing well. We had to do antibiotic eardrops twice a day for a week, so that was a challenge, to say the least! But once those were completed, everyone was much happier! We go back for a checkup in a few weeks, where they will do another hearing test. So here's hoping for a good report!

Illness Invades the Reed Household

It's been quite a roller coaster of illnesses in the Reed household in 2009!

Let's start with Ethan! Ethan caught his first cold of the year at the end of January, which then developed into an ear infection, so he got a round of antibiotics. Then in the early morning hours of February 18th (one day after his actual birthday), Ethan came downstairs barely able to breathe. It scared the wits out of me, and one phone call later, my parents were here, and my dad and I took Ethan to the ER while my mom stayed with Kaden at home. Ethan had come down with croup, and after a dose of oral steroids at the ER, we were sent on our way with a prescription for 3 days of oral steroids to take at home. So poor Ethan had a rough week getting over the croup, and unfortunately, probably didn't enjoy his 4th birthday party as much as he would have normally, since he was still quite tired.

A couple of weeks later, I took Ethan in for his four year old well-check. He had lots of fluid in his ears, but they were not infected at that point. However, he did fail his hearing screening, so we were referred to a children's ENT. And the poor kid had to endure four booster shots, which he did not enjoy!

A week later, Ethan was back in the pediatrician's office for another ear infection, and therefore, another round of antibiotics. In the meantime, I had made an appointment with the ENT, but it wasn't for a few weeks. And then, yep, you guessed it!, about two or three weeks later, we are back in the office for ANOTHER ear infection. That was on a Monday, and his ENT appointment was that same week, on Wednesday, so I was very glad I had that scheduled!

Ethan and I went to his ENT, and he had a great time doing the hearing test! He thought that was quite fun. But he did show minor hearing loss due to all the fluid in his ears. Met with the ENT, and he recommended Ethan getting tubes, since he had had fluid in his ears for three months now, and it was not going away. So, Ethan was scheduled for surgery that Friday. I will make a separate post later about his actual surgery.

Now, let's move on to Kaden! Kaden started off his year with his six month old well-check and shots. He was quite healthy at that point! Then, several days after Ethan came down with croup, Kaden started running a high fever. One trip to the pediatrician determined he had a double ear infection, his first ever. So, he was prescribed a round of antibiotics. After 3 days, the poor baby was still running a 103 fever, so I brought him back in, and his ears were no better. So, we had to switch to a different antibiotic. Thankfully that one seemed to do the trick. A few weeks later, we were back to our pediatrician's office (yes, they are making their house payments off of us this year!), and Kaden had another double ear infection. So, another round of antibiotics, which he just finished up about a week ago. Tomorrow we go in for his nine month well check, and I hope to hear that his ears look great and there is no fluid retention!

Kaden has also been teething like a madman, but unfortunately, none have popped through yet. He is getting four at once right now, and is not a happy camper. Which means Mommy is not a happy camper either!

And lastly, now onto me! I woke up early in the morning on Friday, March 13th (yes, Friday the 13th) with pain in my abdomen. I have had this happen twice before since having Kaden, a couple of months apart, so I didn't think too much of it, other than, here we go again. But it usually went away in a couple of hours. I always thought it was indigestion, gas, etc. But this time it didn't go away, and the pain got worse, and localized to my right side, and radiated to my back. By 1:00 in the afternoon, I was doubled over at the kitchen table while trying to feed the boys lunch! Thankfully Brian was home, so he took the kids to their pediatrician check-up (to see how all the ears were!), while I hightailed it to the doctor. Xray, CT scan, and a phone consult from a surgeon, and by 3:30 pm, I was on my way over to the surgeon's office with the information that my gall bladder was very enlarged, and that I probably had gallstones. Met with the surgeon, and he said I definitely needed to have surgery to have it removed.

The surgery is usually an outpatient day surgery, but since I was coming in on a Friday afternoon, it wasn't going to be so simple for me! The surgeon wanted to admit me to the hospital that evening because he said if I had a gallstone blocking my common bile duct (the information you learn when necessary!), then bacteria can collect there very quickly, causing an infection that can be very dangerous. So, I raced home, threw some stuff into a bag, tried to explain to Ethan where I was going, and raced back to the hospital to get admitted before the front desk closed. After I was admitted, Brian brought the boys up to the hospital, basically so Ethan could see where I was, and that I was okay. I had to have IV antibiotics that evening to prevent any infection.

I was scheduled for the laparoscopic surgery on Saturday around 9 am, however, being the weekend, I got bumped twice for emergency surgery cases. Finally, around 3 pm, it was my turn. They wheeled me down for surgery, gave me a sedative, I kissed Brian, and they wheeled me off to the OR. I don't remember more than 2 minutes in that OR, which is fine by me! Woke up from anesthesia, crying my eyes out, but not upset. It's very strange to basically have your eyes cry, but not feel sad or upset or anything! Wheeled me back to my room, and found out that the surgeon took out the gallbladder, and tried to flush out the gallstones, but that I had one stuck in the common bile duct that they couldn't get. So I was going to have to spend the night again, and have a gastroenterologist do a scope procedure the next day to get any remaining stones. So, another night in the hospital, another round of IV antibiotics, and more saline! Have I mentioned that at this point I haven't eaten since Thursday? Friday I was nauseous and didn't want to eat. Then once I was admitted to the hospital, I could only have clear liquids until midnight, and then nothing the day of surgery. After the surgery, again, it was only clear liquids until midnight, and then nothing the day of the scope. I actually wasn't hungry most of the time, but a drink might have been nice every once in a while!

So, Sunday rolls around, and they finally get around to doing my scope procedure at 4 pm. Again, more anesthesia, and again, waking up crying. This is apparently my typical reaction to anesthesia, as I know now! The gastroenterologist said he was able to remove the gallstones, but that I would need to spend ANOTHER night in the hospital. So, night number three! Ethan was not happy with me at that point, and was wondering when I was coming home! Poor boy! I got a nice dinner of liquids, and then it was bedtime. Have I mentioned that it is impossible to get a decent night's sleep in a hospital? I'm sure any of you reading this that have stayed in one understand!

Finally, my surgeon comes by Monday around lunchtime and tells me that I can go home. I finally walk in my front door around 4 pm, and am attacked by Ethan. But that hug was one of the best ones ever!

So, now I am gall bladder-free, no complications, and just received a good result from labwork this week. So hopefully, I will stay healthy! I have enought to deal with just with the boys!

I should definitely mention that my parents were my lifesavers that weekend, because they took care of the boys while Brian stayed at the hospital with me during the day(s)! And Ethan had a wonderful time playing with them, and having someone's attention all day long!

Here is a picture that Ethan and Papa had taken in a photo booth at Grapevine Mills mall. Too cute!

Ethan's 4th Birthday

I am so far behind due to illnesses and surgeries in our household, but that is all for another post later!

So, way back in February... Ethan turned 4! His actual birthday fell on a school day, so much to his delight, he got to wear a birthday crown, and Mommy brought cupcakes for all the kids to share. After he got home from school, we let him open his presents from us. Just what he was begging for... a "slotcardirtracetrack" (and yes, that is all one word). Here's a picture of Ethan wearing his crown and displaying his loot.




For Ethan's birthday party, he went back and forth about what type of birthday party he wanted, but in the end, a pirate theme won out. Now, I don't really go "all out" for these things, but just do the pirate invitations, thank yous, goody bags, and most importantly, the birthday cake!

This will probably be the last year I have the stamina to make and decorate his birthday cake. For birthdays one and two, I really enjoyed doing it. Then year three came, and I didn't enjoy it so much! This year, I really dreaded all the time it was going to take. But hey, three hours later, I think it looked pretty good!

This year I decided that I was not going to take a chance with the weather being bad, so we had his party at Boomerang's, one of those indoor bouncy house places. Which was a good thing, because it wound up being extremely cold and windy that day! Here's a picture of Kaden trying to get in on the bouncing action... maybe next year Kaden!



And here is the birthday boy! I can't believe my baby is four years old now!

Funny things a 3 year old can say...

1. Today Ethan and I were outside soaking up some sun and playing while Kaden took a nap. I sat down on our driveway, and Ethan decided to lay down in the shade next to me, and look up at the sky. He then told me, "I'd like to go to outer space later, but it might be scary because you have to go fast on a rocket ship. But I can't see outer space right now, because the sky is in the way." (By the way, anything that is not RIGHT NOW, is LATER...)

2. I have been dubbed Princess Mommy, but also, "Mr. Mommy...."

3. When asked by me if there is anything hard to do at school, Ethan said "eating lunch. Because sometimes things are hard and you have to crunch them. Like a banana." (Note: he doesn't even eat bananas, won't touch them, and since when have bananas been crunchy anyway?!?)

That's all I can think of right now, but I really should write these things down, because they happen at least once a day!

Computer genius?

Today I find Ethan sitting in front of our computer in the office. He was watching Veggie Tales using the Slingbox application on our computer. For those that don't know what a Slingbox is, in basic terms, it's something you hook up to your tv at home, and it is connected to your home computer. Then you can watch your tv via your laptop anywhere you can get online. We have this because when Brian is traveling overseas, in particular in Asia, there are usually two English channels, and they are all news, and usually repeat themselves after about 30 minutes. Yes, I have experienced this for myself! So there is that reason, and also so Brian can watch any college football game he wants to, even when he's traveling! :)

So, Brian was working in the garage, and when I asked him if he started that program for Ethan on the computer, he said no. So we came inside and asked Ethan about it, and he said "I did it myself." We did figure out that the last time Brian used the Slingbox, he had it on that same channel, so Ethan didn't change the channel, but he must've managed to double click on that icon to launch it, and then presto - Veggie Tales! Must be magic!

So, I don't know, computer genius? Or just a lucky click?

Ethan's first swimming lesson!

Today was Ethan's first swimming lesson. I wasn't sure how he would react to the water. He has been in a pool a few times, but always with Brian or I, and sometimes he has not wanted to get in. But he did really well today, and seemed to do everything the teacher asked him to do! He needs a lot of practice, of course, but he seemed to have a great time. Afterwards, he immediately asked when he was coming back, so I'm going to take that as a good sign!

Christmas #4 - at the White House

So, the final Christmas event was at my parents house, known as Nana and Papa's to Ethan. The gathering was my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, and my two nephews, Owen (almost age 5), and Warren (just turned 2). The boys had a lot of fun playing together during their visit! Below is one of Ethan's prized presents from the day, a pirate ship! He said "Argh, mateys!"

Here's a picture of Sherry, Jason, and Owen. Warren is just off to the right playing with his new Cars movie cars! He couldn't be bothered to take a picture!

And Ethan's last present he opened was the GeoTrax High-Flying Airport. That garnered big hugs for both Nana and Papa.

And thus ended the Christmas 2008 extravaganza. Kaden was mostly absent from the pictures since he can't open presents yet! And at least at my parents house, he was asleep in the next room, taking a much needed nap. Next year, I'm sure he will be mixing it up with the rest of the kids!

Christmas #3 - at home

So, onto Christmas #3! On Christmas Day, we flew home from Nashville. Santa had made a stop at our house while we were gone, and delivered his two requested presents, a yellow ('lellow') bike, and a slot car racetrack. Here is Ethan taking his first ride on his new bike, and yes, it is inside the house!

Ethan then opened his presents from Mommy and Daddy. He received a couple of puzzles, some new cartridges for his music game, and apparently, the piece de resistance, a truck carrier that holds some matchbox cars. Always into the trucks and cars!!

We took about an hour to breathe, and then we were onto Nana and Papa's house (my parents) for Christmas #4...

Christmas #2 - Nashville style

Christmas #2 was held in Nashville. This is Brian's extended family's Christmas get together. We flew up on the 23rd, and back the afternoon of the 25th, a very quick trip! We were able to see lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins' kids, and of course, Brian's grandma and grandpa. The above picture is great-grandma and great-grandpa with all the great grandkids that were around at that moment. Believe it or not, I think we are missing 8 more kids that couldn't make it to the festivities!

Here is a picture of Kaden with his great grandma (and great grandpa in the background). Contrary to what everyone who was present probably believes, Kaden is really a laid back baby! But he was all out of sorts with traveling, strange bed, not sleeping well, teething, etc. We spent most of the time trying to keep him from crying! But we did manage to get a couple of pics of him being his normally happy self!

Ethan had a blast playing with all his second cousins, most of which he had never met before! Here is a picture of him, and his second cousin Lily, playing underneath one of the tables.

Santa did manage to stop at our hotel to deliver Ethan and Kaden's stocking gifts. So here is Ethan opening his bright and early.

Then we ventured back home for Christmas #3... to be added later!

Christmas #1

We celebrated our first Christmas of the season with Brian's family (grandma, grandpa, aunt Stacie, uncle Ryan, and cousins Emma, Josh, and Matt) on Saturday. We decided to let the kids open their gifts at once - a total free for all! The highlight of Ethan's presents was an airport playset. The boy is obsessed with anything cars, trucks, trains, airplanes - pretty much anything with wheels. He must have told grandpa thank you (unprompted by me!) for the airport at least 6 times!

Here is a picture of Ethan and Emma opening a "shared" gift...

Here is Ethan showing off his new puzzle he got from aunt Stacie and uncle Ryan. Ethan LOVES puzzles!
And here's one of Ethan helping to open Kaden's presents. For some reason, Kaden just wasn't interested in opening his own! :)

And now onto Christmas celebration #2 in Nashville!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Living in Texas, we don't usually have much occasion to wear heavy coats, hats, and mittens! But since we are traveling for Christmas, I wanted Ethan to have a nice warm coat. And since he loves to play outside, regardless of the temperature, I still needed a heavy coat for him. And I figured while I was at it, a hat and mittens wouldn't hurt! After all, we got ONE heavy snowfall last winter, and the boy didn't have any mittens or gloves or a hat that fit him anymore. So we had to make due with thick socks for gloves, and a hat that was about two sizes too small, all so he could play in the snow and make a snowman.

Can you tell from this picture that Ethan loves his "brand new coat", hat, and mittens? And we have actually had use of them all this week!

Santa Claus is comin' to town...

We took Ethan and Kaden (mostly Ethan) to see Santa Claus today. I had to coax Ethan to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas, even though he had been practicing his list. "I want a yellow bike, and a racetrack." If you saw our house, you would think we owned every racetrack in the world, but the boy is obsessed with cars and anything that cars could drive on, park in, etc.! I think Santa will be able to deliver on those two promises (see previous post about the bike!).

The girls tried to get Kaden to smile, but I just told them to take the picture... Kaden doesn't tend to smile unless it's someone he knows behind the camera making silly faces at him (usually Mommy!). Just the fact that his hands aren't in his mouth (I believe Santa is holding them down!), and he's not spitting up makes it a decent picture for me!

Advent Calendars

Each year as a child, I always had a chocolate Advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas. So, as soon as Ethan was old enough, Brian and I started this tradition with him. He has to impatiently wait until after lunch before he can open the day's square. He simply LOVES to see what chocolate will be inside. And I'm sure eating a piece of chocolate is no horrible task to him either!

This year at preschool, Ethan made a Christmas tree Advent calendar, and he gets to put a circle sticker over each numbered day until we get to Christmas. He loves to do this, and will actually wake up in the morning, and before even coming into my bedroom, will go into the kitchen and put on his sticker for the day!

Santa bought a bike today...

Santa is planning to visit our house this Christmas with a bike for Ethan. So, to help him out, Brian and I took Ethan to the bike store today to try and figure out what size bike he needed, as this will be his first 'big boy' bike. Ethan is so used to going to the bike store, he had no idea we were really going for him! He currently has a big wheel that he rides, but he has never ridden on a 'true' bicycle. So, to our surprise, Ethan jumped on one of the bikes, and took off riding laps around the store. He was all smiles and having a great time! The best part was that I was able to buy the bike, and Brian was able to keep Ethan distracted long enough for the salesman to load it in the back of my car without Ethan seeing it. Now to find a good hiding place until Christmas!

Sickies, Sickies, and More Sickies

More sickness has invaded our home. Kaden just had two colds literally back to back, lasting about a month, which he was finally getting over about a week ago. Ethan had a cold about a month ago as well. Starting this past Sunday, Ethan started in on another cold, and then by Monday, Kaden had one too! So, Santa, if you're listening, all I want for Christmas is two healthy kids!

Another Tag - Picture Time!

This tag is one I've seen around a lot. It's the sixth picture in the sixth folder. This is Ethan at about nine months, thoroughly enjoying his dinner!

Movie Time!

Brian and I decided to take Ethan to see his first movie in a "big" movie theater today. We chose Madagascar 2. Ethan did really well, considering that when watching a movie at home, he tends to roam about the room and play with toys at the same time. He said he had fun, but half the fun for him was probably eating popcorn! Oh, and yes, singing along with "You got to move it, move it!"

Who is who?

Kaden turned four months old this week! How time flies by when there is a baby in the house! I have month by month picture frames for the first year, one for Ethan, and now one for Kaden. Which means that I have to remember to take a picture on (or around) the same day every month. This week's picture of Kaden got me thinking about Ethan's four month old picture. So, I decided to post them both here.

So can you tell who is who? And even if you can, there is no questioning that they are brothers!

Camping Trip

So we packed up all our gear this weekend, and took Ethan camping for the first time! Kaden decided to stay home and camp out with Nana (thanks Nana - Kaden said he had a great time with you at home!).

We went to a campsite near the lake about 10 minutes from our house, but it didn't matter where it was to Ethan, as long as we were camping out! He had such a good time, and loved sleeping in the tent in his own little sleeping bag.

Of course, we had to have a campfire, and Ethan had to try out roasting marshmallows for the first time too! What is camping out without s'mores and marshmallows!

We all had a great time, and by all accounts, Ethan is going to want to go camping again soon!

Halloween!

This is the first year that Ethan has been really interested in Halloween. He woke up telling me "It's Halloween!". He picked out his own costume at Old Navy, he was a "red dragon that is nice". This first picture is Ethan and Kaden at our church's fall festival, which was the weekend before Halloween.



We have a LOT of kids on our street, which is fantastic. There are always impromptu playdates out in the middle of the circle! At current count, we have 16 kids (3 are babies)! We try to corral all the kids together for a Halloween pic before the serious trick or treating starts. We had a few extra kids this year (cousins and friends visiting), plus a couple of the parents got into the game this year too! Can you spot the red dragon and the pumpkin?

Brian was traveling again this year, so he missed out on the festivities, but here is a picture of me and my boys...

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!